Saddam 'may face death sentence'
Iraq’s prime minister suggested today that Saddam Hussein could receive the death penalty, but added that no sentence will be issued until his alleged crimes are proven before a transparent trial.
Ibrahim al-Jaafari also said the trial of the former dictator will be held before the end of this year, adding “in a matter of months”.
Huge interest developed around Saddam’s imminent trial over the past week following comments by senior Iraqi officials, including President Jalal Talabani, that the ousted leader could appear before a special tribunal within two months.
Iraqi authorities have also said Saddam will face 14 thoroughly documented cases relating to alleged crimes committed during his 23-year rule. Many carry the death penalty.
After meeting senior European officials in Baghdad today, al-Jaafari said: “We think that every crime has a proportionate punishment, but there can be no execution without proving the crime.”
The death sentence had been part of the Iraqi legal system before the US-led invasion two years ago.
The occupation authorities suspended capital punishment in 2003, but it was reinstated last year by Iraq’s former interim government following the restoration of Iraq’s sovereignty in June last year.
Al-Jaafari said Saddam’s “case must be concluded in a transparent manner”.
US forces captured Saddam in December 2003 hiding in a concealed hole near his hometown of Tikrit, north of Baghdad.
He is jailed at a US military-run prison complex near Baghdad airport, which holds 110 high-profile detainees.
Charges against Saddam include killing rival politicians, gassing Kurds, invading Kuwait and suppressing Kurdish and Shiite uprisings in 1991.
